


An unfortunately-fortunate Murder

by Warflower



Series: Cain´s modern murder mysteries [13]
Category: Cain Saga and Godchild
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Gen, M/M, Mention of domestic abuse/murder/suicide and relationships of dubious consent, Murder Mystery, Riff POV, Some cameos
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-11
Updated: 2017-11-11
Packaged: 2019-02-01 00:58:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12693765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warflower/pseuds/Warflower
Summary: Can murder be a good thing?When you are Cain Hargreaves -  Maybe.





	An unfortunately-fortunate Murder

**Author's Note:**

> This one is mostly lighthearted, but I think even Cain needs a break every now and again.  
> Concrit welcome as always. Enjoy!

As much as Riff hated lying to Cain, something had to be done. 

After the sudden and horrible death of Meredianna Everett Cain had retreated into himself. 

Initially, Riff had approved, she had been important to him and allthough Cain didn´t cry he mourned, for her, for Percy, for his friendship with Emmeline. Riff had given him all the space he needed. 

Over two weeks had past since Meredianna died, and Cain had neither made any effort to spent time with Oscar, nor had he moved back into his room. Instead he opted for cohabitation with Merri-Weather and even though he often slept well into the day the dark circles around his eyes had not improved. 

He hadn´t brought up their kiss either, something Riff respected. Cain had lost someone important to him, someone he might have been in love with, this was no time to push for any type of relationship. 

But with his birthday coming up Cain needed something to focus on, something to distract him from dwelling on all he had lost, and he had lost too much in the past year, the upcoming anniversary of his cousin´s death would only add to that. No, Cain needed a mystery to solve. 

Which was why Riff found himself spending his day off in Fitzrovia, ringing the doorbell of Oscar´s `bachelor patch`. 

He had told Cain that Shavonne was coming up from Cornwall and he had offered to help her do some shopping for Cain´s aunt Katina. 

Cain had agreed without arguing, which was worrying in itself. It was unlike Cain, because even though he knew there was no reason for it, Cain was a jealous person, and Riff´s tentative friendship with Shavonne would usually provoke a show of posessiveness.

When he opened the door Oscar was wearing only a t-shirt and boxershorts and his hair was all over the place, it seemed he had taken to sleeping well into the day, too.

He blinked at Riff -Is everything okay?- 

Riff surpressed a smile -Good morning, Oscar. Don´t worry, everything is fine.-

Oscar frowned, as if wondering why Riff would be here if it wasn´t some kind of emergency. 

-Can I come in?- Riff asked. 

Oscar tried not to grimace as he led Riff into the chaos that was his apartment. Riff said nothing at the take-out cartons burying the coffee-table and the clothes that spilled out of the bedroom onto the living-room floor, he had lived through Cain´s messy teenage years and at least Oscar didn´t leave vials of poison laying around.

-We need a murder- Riff announced after turning to face Oscar.

-A murder?- Oscar sounded slightly panicked.

-...Or something similar to get Cain back on his feet.-

Quickly catching on, Oscar looked thoughtful -A murder would do that.- He eyed Riff -But where should we get a murder? We can´t go around just killing people.-

-We can´t - Riff agreed. Even if they could, a fake- mystery like that would utterly bore Cain, they needed something real. -I came to ask you if you knew anyone, anything that might be a mystery, it doesn´t have to be a murder, just something for Cain to investigate.-

Oscar hummed, with his extroverted nature and his proclivity for bars he was Riff´s best bet to find something of interest. 

Wrecking his head Oscar started pacing, and trying not to stare Riff scanned the room around him, eventually his eyes settled on a small photograph on the mantlepiece. It showed Oscar with a dark haired woman. 

-Who is she?- Riff asked. 

Oscar looked up and paled ever so slightly. -She was my fiancée.- he said and chuckled -Doesn´t she look just like Merry?-

She didn´t, she looked like Cain.

-How does Cain feel about damsells in distress?- Oscar changed the topic. 

Being well-acquainted with Cain´s protective streak Riff inquired -Do you know someone like that?-

-There´s this girl called Eliza- Oscar began -I see her almost every time I go to the pub, I think she goes there every night.-

This did sound like it could be promising. -Did you notice anything to think she needs help.-

Oscar nodded -I didn´t know what to do about it, I mean, I can´t just presume to meddle in her business, but she´s always wearing a lot of make-up, and pubs are hot, so it smudges sometimes, and last week I was pretty certain there was a bruise on her cheek.- 

-Did you try to talk to her about it?- Riff asked, domestic abuse was a serious issue. 

-She said it was nothing- Oscar frowned -then she laughed and ordered another beer.-

Riff mulled it over, a young woman in an abusive situation. It might hit a little close to home so soon after Meredianna´s death. And Cain being Cain, as much as Riff loathed to admit it, he wasn´t unlikely to start an affair with the young woman he intended to help. 

But such matters were secondary, if Cain did fall into bed with the woman in question, Riff wouldn´t stop him. As their relationship was now, he had no claim over Cain, and maybe saving this woman would help him after he failed to save Meridianna, to save Suzette. 

He turned back to Oscar -Can you pick him up around eight?-

 

It took a lot of convincing to get Cain to agree to accompanying Oscar to the pub that night, after all it would be a reminder of all the time he spent there with Percy and Emmeline, but telling him he and Merry wanted some time to conspire for Cain´s birthday got him to agree eventually. Oscar picked him up at five past eight.

-Has he gone out, again?- Neil Hargreaves asked, having left the solar to investigate the commotion caused by Oscar´s presence. 

-He hasn´t got out of the house in weeks.- Riff tried not to sound as if he was justifying himself.

Neil gave a doubtful grunt -Well, alcohol will hardly help him.- 

-It won´t- Riff agreed -But I asked Oscar to help him get his head off things.- 

-Things, that´s a way to put it, second corpse in our home in a month- 

Riff winced, Lucinda had still been alive when the ambulance arrived and the doctors prognosis had been hopefull at first, but brain damage had won out in the end. 

Sometimes Riff wondered if Cain knew how much his uncle cared for him and Merry, that behind that gruff, appearance-conscious exterior lay all the care of someone reading parenting books before bedtime. 

Dispite his constant disapproval of his presence, Riff could not dislike the old man.

-I´m only trying to do what is best for him.- Riff stated, well knowing that this was something they had in common.

-I still don´t like your involvement, it is hardly healthy- 

Riff had to agree, emotionally Cain was too dependent on him, the episode with Emmeline had only shown that. 

-My degree of involvement might be more than you would consider desirable- Riff admitted, he was objectively too old for Cain -but I wouldn´t remove myself against his will. He has relied on me for so long, I wouldn´t want to see the damage loosing that would cause.- 

This was a point even Neil Hargreaves had to conceit. 

-And if it is any comfort- Riff added -I depend on Cain as much as he depends on me. 

With that Riff retreated upstairs. 

 

The call came right when the hot chocolate had cooled down to perfect drinking temperature. Merry had been holed up in her bed, cuddled in blankets and Riff and made himself comfortable on the edge of her matress. They had been planning the details of Cain´s birthday. 

Unfortunately Merry´s exploits on why they shouldn´t have cherry cake, which was the best in the world and her favourite but not her brother´s, but lemon cake, which Cain preferred were cut short when the telephone rang. 

Riff hurried downstairs followed by a ball of blankets and flowery pajamas to pick up the phone. 

It seemed Cain´s evening at the pub had ended prematurely, caused by the sudden arrival of the police, who wanted to question his companion, a Miss Eliza, on behalf of a murder. 

Cain needed to be picked up at the station.

 

Mr. Colin Rufus Palmer, a straight a-university student from a wealthy family had been found dead at the foot of the stairs of the apartment he shared with his girlsfriend, Eliza. It was considered murder, because not only had he fallen down the stairs, which might have been ruled an accident, but someone had bashed in his head with a blunt instrument afterwards to make sure he was really dead. 

Eliza was, according to DS Burgess the prime suspect as it was well known that she didn´t care much for her boyfriend. The young woman was the younger sister of the victims best friend and apparent shooting buddy Dudley, why she dated Colin if she disliked him so much was anyones guess, perhaps do throw a rift into his friendship with her brother, whom she seemed to dislike, perhaps for the money, because while her brother had inherited all of their late parents money, she had gotten nothing and was therefore wholly dependant on him. 

All of this Riff learned from a short inquiry of Cain´s whereabouts, accompanied with a number of terms attributed to Cain, that were so unflattering and frankly said offensive, that Riff was glad that he had left Merry at home. 

-She didn´t do it- Where Cain´s first words when he was led out towards Riff, the second were -Thanks, for picking me up. I have to get my jacket.- 

The jacket in question was soon found buried beneath a long women´s coat, expensive enough to belong to Eliza. Riff eyed the coat to take measure of Cain´s newest pet-project, but all he could figure out was that the person who bought it was wealthy enough to afford it and decent enough to buy something with fake fur at the collar, there might have been a monogram sewn into it once, Riff could still make out the lion-shape but it had been mostly torn out.

-Why do you think she is innocent?- He turned to ask Cain.

-Just a hunch- Cain shrugged -She´s the black sheep of the family. I have a soft spot for black sheep.- 

A soft spot was an understatement -Any concrete proof?- Riff asked.

-Not yet.- A hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. 

 

With less than a week left to go until Cain turned eighteen Riff took longer and longer grocery-shopping. Carefully, taking his time he scanned the aisles figuring out just what they needed, and how much would be necessary to feed all of the guests. 

He was idling in front of the produce section when he spotted a familiar face. 

-Detective Chief Inspector- he greeted.

Landor looked up, he seemed slightly confused, as if he didn´t quite know what he was looking for. 

-Good morning- Landor greeted back -It´s a pleasure to see you Mr...-

-Raffit- Riff supplied. -Is everything alright.- 

As it turned out, everything was not alright, DCI Landor´s wife had come down with the flu which was why he had to go grocery shopping. He was hopelessly lost. 

-How is the Palmer murder? Does Miss Eliza have an alibi?- Riff inquired as he led Landor past the meat and cheese displays. 

For a moment Landor seemed surprised, then he chuckled -She doesn´t.- He admitted -She was with Cain for the later part of the evening but by that time Mr. Palmer was several hours dead.- 

Riff nodded, maybe she wasn´t guilty, maybe she was, they would figure it out eventually.

Zoning back in Riff noticed that Landor had started talking about Cain -I mean what are the chances- he complained -Seven murders in five months, I should set a taskforce on that kid.-

Riff smiled -Ten- he said, voice deadpan -Eleven if you count the murder of Ms. Duke.-

Landor stared at him -How?-

-We don´t know. It became kind of a hobby.-

Landor was still shaking his head -What do I do with that boy...-

-Does Miss Eliza have somewhere to stay?- Riff probed, returning to the topic of interest.

-She´s staying with her brother- Landor explained. -He picked her up around midnight, they made quite a scene.- 

-How so?- Riff asked.

-He berated her for constantly going out, drinking too much and being generally unreliable, she berated him for only caring about appearances and being ashamed of her. It got loud.-

Riff nodded, thinking that it was unsurprising that Cain had taken a liking to her. 

-Do you think she is guilty?- Riff inquired. 

-I don´t know,- Landor said -I honestly don´t know.-

 

Green-golden eyes blinked out under messy dark hair as Cain struggled to sit up from the nest on Merry´s floor which substituted his bed. Merry, who was watching, exitedly, giggled.

-What is it?- he asked, failing to get his hair into something resembling order.

-Guess who Riff met while out shopping?- Merry chirped.

-You´re back from shopping already?- Cain eyed the window to estimate what time it was, obviously not succeeding as his next question was -What time is it?- 

-It is half past ten- Riff supplied -And I met DCI Landor.-

Merry made a show of sulking, she had wanted to make Cain guess.

Cain perked up at the mention of ´his informant´ as he had taken to calling Landor. -Any news?- He asked.

Riff smiled. -Nothing much, Miss Eliza was picked up by her brother, it seems they got into quite a shouting match.-

Cain frowned. -Someone has been hitting her. She has bruises. Do you know if she was afraid of her brother?- 

-I don´t know.- Riff conceded -She doesn´t think he cares much for her.-

Cain nodded -That´s what she said last night. Dudley cares more for his image than he cares about her.-

-Do you think her brother is hitting her?- Merry asked, slipping of her bed and cuddling into Cain´s side. Riff wanted to shelter Merry, as did Cain but given their lives this was not an attainable goal. 

-Maybe- Cain burried his nose in her hair. -She didn´t seem to like her boyfriend very much. Maybe she dated him to escape her brother. People do that kind of thing.-

Merry nodded. -I´ll only date people I like- She promised.

-That´s good- Cain smiled. -Just make sure they like you, too.- 

Riff let the siblings enjoy their moment, but eventually Cain glanced back at him. He returned a smile.

-What are you going to do about Eliza?- He asked.

Cain shrugged. -I guess I´ll go over and guard her.- he said -So her brother can´t do anything. Maybe I can get more information on the murder.-

This was no time for jealousy, so he offered Cain a hand up, -It sounds like a good plan.-

 

While Riff and Merry had spent their day gossiping about the most ridiculous of Oscar´s shenanigans, Riff´s personal favourite being the time Merry ran of while playing hide and seek, and picking out the perfect lemon cake for Cain´s birthday, Cain had gone over to where Eliza´s brother lived in eastern Belgravia, he was planning to spent the night. 

It was late in the evening when Cain called him, Merry was fast asleep already and Riff was just finishing up sorting the library, he preferred it when things were neat and tidy, as did Neil Hargreaves; unfortunately Cain and Merry had been way too coped up lately and had spent their excess energy causing havoc on the library , so some reorganising was necessary.

-Hello?- he asked. He had not expected to be called this late, it was a pleasant surprise.

-Hi.- Cain sounded as relieved as Riff felt.

-How are you doing?- Riff inquired, something was wrong, otherwise Cain wouldn´t have called. 

-I´m fine- Cain assured him, still tense, but Riff heard the edge of a smile.

-But?- he asked.

Cain chuckled. -You know me to well.- After a moment he added. -People are assholes.-

Riff frowned. 

-I overheart the housekeeper talking to the maid.-

-What were they talking about?- Riff probed, Cain would tell him anyways but showing interest would help reassure him. 

-They were talking about Eliza. About how ungrateful she is and that her brother wants only the best for her, from what I heart he clearly doesn´t. And they were talking about how she didn´t deserve Colin who was apparently some kind of saint but at least twice a week he went shooting with Dudley; gun obsession, very saintly. And then there was some slut-shaming thrown in to top it off, I mean she wears make-up and likes to go out, what a crime, of course she takes all the affection she can get, if that´s how she´s treated at home.- 

Riff winced.

-I wonder what they would say if they knew about the bruises.- Cain continued -Probably blame her for that, too.- He fell silent.

-Shall I come get you?- Riff asked.

-No,- Cain reassured him, smiling -I´m fine. I just needed to vent at somebody.-

-I´m here- Riff told him. 

-I know.- A pause -Get me tomorrow?- 

Riff smiled -Sure.-

 

For someone who spent the night in the house of a suspected murderess and her potentially violent brother Cain seemed surprisingly well rested when Riff went to pick him up the following morning. 

He was brought to the gate by a young blonde woman whose shoulder-lenght curls were just slightly too artful to be natural. 

Cain hugged her goodbye before turning to leave as she captured his hand to pull him back in. The kiss she pressed upon his lips seemed to surprise Cain as much as it surprised Riff. 

It was not a kiss intended for Cain, it turned out, it was intended for the audience inside the house. 

-I wonder- said a voice -why you loved Colin so little that you don´t wait a day before bringing home your next suitor.-

A tall young man limped forward to lean in the doorway, he was in his mid-twenties with light brown hair and an outrageously big lion-shaped cravat pin dominating his outfit, but the most surprising, Riff thought was the edge of worry hidden in his words, worry and maybe regret. 

-Why brother, did you not even pick up your cane in your hurry to disparage me?- Eliza turned on him.

Dudley snorted. 

Scanning him Cain touched Eliza´s wrist -You could stay at my place for a while, if that was better for you.- He offered.

She scoffed at her brother -That would please my brother, having his troublesome sister taken out of his hair.- 

Dudley came limping down the stairs. -My troublesome sister who is such a bother to keep around, you mean, despite the fact that she is the only family I have left.- He stood in front of Eliza looming over her.

-As if you would keep me around if I weren´t- she spat at him. -Poor poor Dudley, having to put up with the black sheep of the family, how kind of him not to turn her away as she deserves.- 

The slap came out of nowhere, Riff had just enough time to wrap his arms around Cain´s chest or he would have lauched himself at Dudley.

-Don´t talk like that.- Dudley commanded. 

Eliza just laughed and stalked back inside. 

 

Cain was seething with rage when Riff physically manhandled him into a taxi. 

He didn´t speak a word in the time it took Riff to call Oscar and arrange for him to guard Eliza in Cain´s stead and he refused to look at Riff when he eventually did speak: 

-You should have let me hit him.- He said. -If he lays a hand on her again I am going to end him.-

Riff swallowed, with Cain history this was no empty thread. But still he could not see Dudley as the monster Cain saw. He reminded him of somebody, and soon Riff had figured whom.

-Neil- he said, eventually. -He reminds me of your uncle.-

-How would a violent asshole remind you of my uncle?- Cain asked, -I mean, sure, he can be insufferable, but he isn´t that.-

Riff struggled to find the right words, -I know you don´t want to consider this from Dudley´s angle...-

-You´re right- Cain snapped -I don´t care with which excuses he justifies his behaviour.-

-I just think he seemed worried...- Riff was not surprised to be interrupted again.

-You call that worry?- Cain sounded disbelieving. He folded his arms over his chest in protection.

Riff knew he had to tread carefully, Alexis shadow was looming over them. -I think that despite his poor way of showing it, Dudley cares about his sister.- 

Cain curled further into himself, sinking into his seat -Do you, now? I assume you think my father ´cared´ about me, too?- 

Riff shook his head -No, but I think your uncle cares about you.- 

Under creased eyebrows, Cain glanced up. It was times like this, when Cain dropped his guards, that Riff was hit by his youth.

-What I mean is- Riff explained, keeping his voice as calm and soothing as possible -Your uncle cares for you, despite how gruff he acts, he just doesn´t know how to show it. What I saw with Dudley was an attempt at caring, even if it was poorly communicated. And Eliza felt attacked and defended herself which led to Dudley in turn biting back. He has some anger issues, he needs to work on his self control, but he does care.- 

Cain slumped forwards, knocking his forehead against Riff´s shoulder. -I still think he´s an asshole for hitting her. Him meaning-well doesn´t excuse his actions.- 

-No, it doesn´t- 

It did not excuse his actions and either by violence or by poor communication skills, Dudley had driven Eliza out of her own home into the arms of a man she didn´t love. 

It was all to similar the fate of poor Suzette. 

Riff wrapped an arm around Cain´s shoulders. 

Suzette had suffered greatly under her imposing step-mother, finding the affection she was so clearly denied from her family in the company of one Miles Ashton, a down on his luck gardener who was easily twenty years her senior. 

He had mostly been interested in the money she gave him, but he didn´t refuse the sex, either. Afterward he claimed that he had never pretended to love her, but he never needed to, she was fifteen and naive, for her there was no possible way that the man she was sleeping with didn´t love her. 

She wrote Cain about him, gushing about the love of her life while never mentioning his age. 

When he married another, a wealthy socialite his own age, she was heartbroken, with nobody to turn to she took her life. 

Had Cain known of her plight he might have helped her, at the time they lived less than two hours apart, yet Cain was pretending to be an ocean away and Suzette had waned herself alone. 

Cain still blamed himself for not saving her. He would not fail Eliza the same way. 

 

They had called DCI Landor for information as soon as they got home, and with some charm and manipulation on Cain´s part Landor allowed them to inspect Colin´s corpse after the closing of the morgue. 

So after a long day of chores, Landor carefully uncovered the corpse that was displayed on one of the metal tables. 

While Cain carefully inspected the fatal head wound Riff surveyed the rest of his body. Soon he turned his attention to the calluses on Palmer´s knuckles, calluses like a boxer would have, of like a man who regularly hit something. Or Somebody. 

He looked up to tell Cain what he found but Cain had frozen still. Entranced, his fingers were tracing the imprint of the murder weapon, there was an unholy glint in his eyes.

-The cane- he breathed, a satisfied smile spreading out over his face. 

Then he turned and ran out of the morgue without so much as another word. 

Landor hurried after him imediately, but before following Cain, Riff spared a moment to figure out just what had caused Cain´s epiphany.

There was a strange pattern gracing the late Palmer´s cracked skull, a pattern which upon closer inspection and some fantasy thrown in, seemed distinctly leonine.

It was most likely the same lion that was once monographed into Eliza´s coat, the same lion Dudley wore as a cravat pin, the same lion, that probably graced his missing cane.

A cane that he had discarded before it could be identified as the murder weapon.

 

When Riff joined Landor outside of the morgue, Cain had already disappeared by jumping into the next taxi and taking off.

Sometimes Riff thought that Cain would be better of with a GPS tracker somewhere on his person, but luckily such measures were unneccessary today. 

 

Riff and Landor followed Cain as soon as they had caught a taxi of their own. He gave the driver the adress of Dudley and Eliza´s flat, so it didn´t take long until they stood in front of the old limestone building the siblings inhabited, trying to figure out the whereabouts of the rubbish bins. 

Unfortunately they weren´t the only ones looking for Cain.

-Move and you´re dead.- Riff heard a voice from just around a corner. He glanced around the wall seperating him from the source of the voice and saw Dudley, aiming a gun at Cain´s chest. 

Cain did not move, but he did not back down either, he held a cane clutched in his right hand. 

-Shoot and you go to jail.- He goaded Dudley. 

Dudley´s laugh was manic -I´m not going to jail. I´m not leaving Eliza to fend for hersef. She needs me.-

-Strange- Cain cut in -as far as I understood it she neither needed, nor wanted you around. After all she rather stacked up with Colin than staying with you.- 

-Colin was a monster- Dudley´s voice was shaking, as was his gun -I only wish I had seen it sooner.- 

Riff was startled by DCI Landor was touching his arm.

-We can´t wait for backup- he told Riff -I need to defuse the situation.-

He eyed Landor, -Are you armed?- he asked.

-I have a taser.- Riff surpressed a sigh, a taser wouldn´t be enough to stop a gun waving madman. 

Meanwhile Cain continued confronting Dudley -So you killed her abuser just to take his place?- 

That hit a nerve, Dudley´s brows pulled together -I am nothing like Colin- he spat and Cain laughed. 

-You struck her, didn´t you.-

This time Dudley was not able surprise him. 

Riff lunged foreward before registering the gunshot, throwing himself between Cain and the weapon. 

Cain´s eyes went wide as Riff registered the pain. He barely noticed Landor wrestling the gun out of Dudley´s hands to arrest him, numbly staring down at his side as he was, where smears of blood were dyeing the fabric of his shirt. 

Immediately Cain was by his side. 

-Are you okay?- his fingers trembled as he helped Riff to settle down with his back against the wall and carefully removed his jacket.

He told himself that it was only a flesh wound, but the throbbing in his side made it hard to think. 

-What am I supposed to do?- Cain asked -Talk to me.- 

So Riff did, relying on his years of medical training taking over. When Cain had finally found some clean fabric to stem the bleeding in his side without contaminating the wound, Riff´s head was already much clearer. 

Looking around he noted that not only was Landor still waiting for backup while watching over a handcuffed Dudley, but Eliza and Oscar must have been drawn outside by the gunshot, and Eliza was sobbing into her brother´s chest, while Oscar awkwardly stood back.

-It seems, like she did like Dudley´s notion of heroism, after all. Aparetly she is already planing on visiting him in prison.- Cain frowned as he did his best trying not to look down at Riff´s blood staining his hands. 

Riff forced a laugh. -I guess that´s something, at least.-

-Something?- Cain´s eyes were inscrutable.

-Something good- Riff clarified. -The murderer has been arrested, Eliza is safe and she even made up with her brother, what more could you want.- 

Cain snorted but judging by his teasing tone he seemed to be slowly catching himself. -What more could I want? I don´t know? Maybe I would prefer it if you hadn´t been shot.-

Riff chuckled, -The bullet just grazed me, I´ll be back on my feet in no time.- 

Cain shook his head, smiling at Riff´s stubbornness. Finally, he slumped down beside him. -Would you blame me if I thought this was kind-of fun?- Cain asked -I mean beside the you getting injured part.-

Riff just smiled and asked back -Would you blame me if I told you that I arranged you meeting Eliza?- Cain froze for a moment. Then he started laughing.

 

When Landor´s backup arrived, it brought an ambulance along, but after a short trip to the ER Riff was free to go home. Cain accompanied him every step of the way. And when the second anniversary of Suzette´s death began that midnight, Cain was too busy fussing over Riff´s fleshwound to even notice.

Dudley was tried for manslaughter and attempted murder. He would have gotten much easier off had he not attempted to shoot Cain. 

-Serves him right.- Cain had decided when Landor dropped by to spread the good news. Riff found he had to agree. 

 

On the morning of Cain´s birthday Riff rose early, disregarding doctor´s orders of ´taking it easy´. Cain only turned eighteen once and after the previous year he had earned to spend the day surrounded with friends and family. 

Downstairs in the kitchen he was greeted with the sight of Shavonne searching for the coffee machine. She smiled as he wished her a good morning. 

Katina and Shavonne had come up from Cornwall for the sole purpose of celebrating with Cain.She had settled well into her routine of working for Katina, in fact she almost seemed to worship the woman. 

Other than Stein or Angus, Cain´s aunt treated her decently and respected her opinions. She was patient when Shavonne couldn´t read something and she even spoke french. Riff was genuinely happy for her and relished in the chance to spent time with his friend. 

Merry whirled in soon after Riff had started preparing breakfast, just barely avoiding crashing into Shavonne who was balancing table settings for seven. 

The cake was deemed suitable after thourough inspection, and only then did Merry agree to go outside to pick some flowers from the garden. 

Riff hoped for snowbells, as they were mildly poisonous.

Ascending the stairs he left Shavonne to decorate the kitchen table, Neil Hargreaves may insist on eating in the dining room most of the time, but this was Cain´s birthday, and Cain preferred the informality of eating at the kitchen table.

Ringing Oscar out of bed was bothersome but necessary, at least he did not stay over, Riff mused as he watched Merry arranging some crocusses in a vase. 

Before long a small mountain of presents had been collected at the foot of the table, their quality ranging from well intentioned (a treatise on rare poisons that Cain had already read twice from Katina), over pracmatic (a private tour through the criminology department of City University from Neil), through sweet (Merry´s seeds of poisonous plants) to plain weird (the black, curly haired wig from Oscar that disconcertingly looked like the hairstyle of his late fiancée). 

Riff smiled, everything was perfect.

The job of waking Cain fell to Merry, as they gathered around the breakfast table they listened to her singing ´Happy Birthday´ and other songs while she was jumping down the stairs, her brother in tow. 

When they reached the kitchen they stopped in their tracks, taking in the scene in front of them. 

It was not a surprise party, not quite. For Cain, the party in itself was surprising enough.

Disbelieving he looked around. A lopsided smile hanging off his face. 

-Do you like it?- Merry asked.

-I love it.- He turned to hug her, good and long. When he eventually let her go he walked over to Oscar and hugged him, and uncle Neil after that and then Katina and Shavonne until he stood before Riff. 

-Thank you- Cain whispered. And then he kissed him, for all his family to see.


End file.
